Thank You Squidoo

It all started on February 12, 2008. I read in the support forums at CafePress about a site called Squidoo. I have never heard about Squidoo before and wasn't really sure what it was all about and if it was anything I would be interested in. So I checked it out. Lenses? Do-whatta-who? I had no idea, but I saw Free on there and thought why not? And so I started my first Lens about Whippets.

Why Whippets? Well that's easy. I know a lot about whippets. I own a whippet. I am passionate about whippets. And the real purpose of my lens was to try to increase traffic to my WhippetTalk forums. Squidoo was another means to get more links out there in the vast internet and direct traffic to my site. Now it seems more like the other way around!

So I threw some stuff into the lens using the "modules" Squidoo provides and hit publish. Now, mind you, on February 12, 2008, it wasn't a pretty sight. So I sort of forgot about the whole thing and put it on the back burner. It wasn't until sometime in April 2008, I decided to have a look at it again. That's when I really dove into it and found out what all this Squidoo stuff was all about.

Some tinkering and links to my new and improved Secret World of Whippets and it rose to the top 100 in Animals and so far the best rank in the overall system was 233! That's within 2 weeks of really diving in and putting some effort to make it a great lens. How's that for positive reinforcement?

Bonus! I learned that you can make money from a lens. Now, I'm not looking to quit my job and buy my own Island in the Bahamas or anything. But any nickel will help to offset the cost of my WhippetTalk Forums. My forums are free to join and Advertisement Free so I take donations from the membership to keep it up and running. Wouldn't it be great to NOT have to beg for money every year from the members? Okay, so far my earnings (clicks to ads) are at 15 cents. Hey! It's 15 cents I didn't have before. Anyway, the purpose of my Secret World of Whippets lens was not to make money, but to write about something I want other people to see and learn about and then come to my forums.

How do you earn money?

Squidoo really does a lot of the work for you. All lenses have Ads running on them and if a surfer clicks out from your lens via an Ad, you get some moo-lah.

Squidoo also provides YOU with these great Modules that will help you find products to sell from Amazon, CafePress, eBay, and more.

More about Money here.

But hey, let's say you aren't in it for any cash. Do you have a charity you support or want to support? You can choose to have your earning go to Charity. And donations are tax deductible you know.

Here's a List of Charities.

Listen, I know how intimidating the whole Squid thing can be. There are a lot of lenses out there and maybe you aren't too internet savvy or good with computer programming hocus pocus poof you have a webpage thing. I was there. That's why I sort of abandoned the whole project for a while. I just wasn't sure I was up for hours upon hours of trying to figure out how to do this and how to do that. I did some looking around and getting used the whole Squidoo idea from what other lenses looked like. I found a link that led me to the SquidU Lensmasters Forums.

The Lensmasters Forums is like finding sunken treasure. There is a wealth of knowledge there. From the moment I introduced myself, I was welcomed with open tenticles (yeah, okay, I'll stop with the squid puns). The members in the forums are very helpful and will point you in the right direction. No question is too small or stupid. Everyone is willing to help. And you will learn about some features and tricks to make your lens stand out from the crowd. I don't know why more people don't join the forums? It's really a nice place to discuss with people you already have something in common with - a lens or two, or fifty!

So imagine how shocked I was for getting a notice in my email that I was awarded a Purple Star for my Whippet lens! My first thought was, "What's a purple star?" I still see myself as a Newbie and not really a Master of the lens thing with only a handful of lenses in my account. What could this be? And as of today, it's still a mystery to me. It's one of those things that are still "To Be Announced."

Squid Badges are another perk you get here if you put together a good lens. I'm working on my Giant Squid (50 lenses) status and if things keep going the way there are, I expect to reach that goal by 2012! LOL

Thank you for providing a great place free of charge.

Thank you for the tools and modules for making it easy to create.

Thank you for the support with forums and tutorials.

Thank you to the Squidoo Community (Lensmaster Forums) for the help and support as well.

Thank you to the Lensmasters who have visited and commented.

Thank you Squid Angels for your blessings.

Thank you for inviting me to be a Squidoo Activist.


Thank you for my Squid Angel Wings!

Thank for making my Forever 27 Lens Lens of the Day on October 1, 2008!

This is a really great place to be a part of. I am very happy I found it.

Photo credits:

Wikimedia Commons